Saving his Princess
by InkMeYouVillian
Summary: A lot has changed since the end of Total Drama for Courtney and Duncan. But one fateful night changes everything for them. TW: Self-harm.
1. Chapter 1

So I had to do one. These two were my first OTP... First fan fic in a while, so be gentle. Warnings in advance- Self harm and there will be smut in later chapters. You have been warned. I do not own any part of the total drama franchise.

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Courtney had gone through a lot after leaving Total Drama for the last time. Her parents had gotten a divorce, she had moved in with her grandparents and had cut ties off from almost every part of her famed time on TV- including Duncan Foreman.

Sure, she still kept in contact with a few of the girls of Total Drama, and Geoff and DJ because Geoff was dating Bridgette still and DJ shared an apartment with the lovebirds, but she had more important things on her mind. Like graduating high school and getting into law school. She had a 4.0 GPA and was captain of the debate team, so there was no reason she wouldn't be able to get into the Ivy League school of her choice.

She had gotten her life together after moving out of the toxic environment of her hometown. Total Drama had left her scarred emotionally, not to mention a few scars she had physically sustained while on the show, and no one seemed to forget that. Her classmates always asking questions and her parents arguing every night took a toll. And almost every day someone would ask about _him._

She refused to say his name. Courtney was sitting in her AP history and government class and instinctively pulled her grey sweater down. Her at home environment had been tough and she had fallen into a bad bought of depression after returning from her final experience on the show. Today, the scars were just pale lines of what once was, but she always wore a sweater outside, even in the blazing months of summer just because she didn't want people asking those types of questions. She didn't need that.

But she was Courtney. She was tough and she was 100% over that stupid boy with his stupid green Mohawk and was shortly on her way to being North America's greatest lawyer.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the class, pulling Courtney out of her thoughts. She frowned at her unfinished notes and made a mental reminder to ask someone for a copy of theirs.

Courtney reached into her purse and checked her phone.

 _Party tonight?_ Leshawna had sent in a group text.

 _Omg that sounds like so much fun! Count Geoff and me in!_ Bridgette texted back.

 _I guess that means I'm going too lol._ DJ responded.

 _Yay parties are so fun! Heather let's go!_ Lindsay replied.

 _Sure, fine._ Courtney could almost hear Heather's sigh as she began typing.

 _I don't know guys, I've got a lot of homework this weekend…_

 _Oh come on!_ Bridgette's response was almost immediate. _You're 18! Kick back a little!_

Courtney sighed, Leshawna's house was about 30 minutes away, but it wouldn't kill her to show up for a little. She just wouldn't drink anything and leave before 10.

 _Okay, fine. What time?_ Courtney responded before texted her grandma to let her know her plans for the night.


	2. Chapter 2

Duncan closed the hood of the car he was working on. After Total Drama he had taken the money and bought a nice apartment near his current job and a brand new motorcycle. The rest he had stashed away in savings in case a special circumstance arose. But he had a feeling that was very unlikely. At 19 though, life was going good for him. Lonely, but good.

He took the keys out to the girl who was waiting on the car and told her that the engine was fixed and to not go running over bushes even if she thought her car was bigger. The 16 year old rolled her eyes and took the keys and paid without a thank you.

"What a bitch." He muttered as the door to the mechanic shop closed behind him. But what he wouldn't give to be 16 again. He missed the fun of Total Drama and most importantly he missed his princess. He didn't have any way to get in contact with her to apologize for all he had done, but if he had the chance, he would have taken it all back and shown up in a private jet to whisk her away to their own little paradise. He probably still had enough money to do that, but he hadn't seen Courtney in two years, and the way she talked about him on the show made him pretty sure she didn't want to see him at all.

Suddenly his phone buzzed. He picked it up to see Geoff had texted him.

 _Hey man! Party at Leshawna's tonight! You down?_

Duncan's fingers hesitated above the keyboard. If Geoff was going, that meant Bridgette was going to be there and Bridgette and Courtney were still pretty close. But he didn't even know where Leshawna's hose was and he really didn't feel like going out tonight.

Still, he had to ask.

 _Will Courtney be there?_

 _Yeah man? Why do you ask? Still got the hots for her?_

 _That's none of your business. But I'll come later okay? Just text me the address._

 _Sweet man! See you there!_

Duncan sighed. Leshawna lived in a neighborhood not too far from his apartment complex, so he might be able to be bothered to show up for a little bit. Especially if Courtney was going to be there.

"Hey get back to work Duncan!" His boss called from the back room. Duncan sighed and headed back into the garage.

And the bait is set! Hope you guys like it so far, R&R and I'll try and update consistently!


	3. Chapter 3

**Warning: Self harm and super angst in this chapter and ahead.**

"Courtney! Oh girl I've missed you!" Leshawna picked Courtney up into a crushing bear hug.

"I've missed you too-" Courtney managed to squeak out.

"How old are you now? Have you graduated high school yet?" Leshawna peppered her with questions as she dragged her into the living room and put a drink in her hand.

"Senior year. But I've applied to a few Ivy Leagues, so I'm hoping for the best."

"Oh look at you girl! Fancy! I'm just hoping to get into a college. Maybe be a vet."

Leshawna and Courtney were the only two girls in the group who hadn't graduated high school yet. DJ was in culinary school and Bridgette and Geoff had opened a gym specializing in yoga. Bridgette was the only one Courtney bothered to see regularly though. Her gym wasn't too far from her Grandma's house and Courtney found the classes relaxing and Bridgette gave her a discount.

"Drink!" DJ motioned to the glass of punch in Courtney's hand. "I made it myself."

"It isn't too strong, is it?"

"You won't taste a thing, trust me."

"Well I guess I can't say no to anything you've made." Courtney said as she took a sip of the concoction. It was sweet and tropical and soon she had three more tall glasses and knew she wasn't going to be making it home any time soon. They continued to have a good time talking and catching up and Courtney decided just one more wouldn't hurt.

Around 11, Courtney could feel herself starting to sober up when she heard Leshawna's door open again. She looked down the hall to see who was coming when her whole body froze.

"Hey guys sorry I'm late. Shop doesn't close until 9 and I wanted to shower before gracing you guys with my presence."

Courtney couldn't help but stare. His hair had morphed from his green Mohawk to a smart black undercut. He had more piercings and a couple tattoos as well. He was taller and more muscular and his voice had gotten deeper if that was possible. She looked into his dark blue eyes to see he was staring back.

"Well guys, I hate to be a party pooper, but I really should go, I have tons of homework this weekend. Gotta keep them grades up for Yale."

"Come on, Duncan just got here!" Geoff begged. He was clearly trashed.

"Are you sure, you're okay to drive, I can take you if you like." Bridgette offered.

"No, really, I'm fine." She assured everyone before rushing towards the door.

"Princess, wait-" Duncan called after her, reaching his hand out towards her.

"Don't ever call me that again." Her voice cracked as she slammed the door. Courtney rushed to her car and sped home. Her eyes were burning with tears. Why'd he have to show up? Who even invited him? Why now? She was so close to perfection, of getting into a prestigious law school and never looking back at any of this. Why him? Why now?

She bolted into the front door of her grandparent's beautiful home, forgetting to lock the door behind her as she rushed upstairs to the room she had called her own for the past year. The bathroom was attached to her room and she rushed inside, clutching onto the sides of the sink like she could hold herself together.

She looked at herself in the mirror. Mascara running, hair disheveled. It felt like she was 16 again with her parents yelling at each other downstairs. And 16 year old Courtney had a very different way of dealing with things. She knew she had never fully gotten over Duncan. She pulled off the black cardigan she was wearing and stared down at the scars that covered her arms from wrist to shoulder. In the back of her mind she knew she was stronger and more mature than all of this, but she didn't care. She didn't want to think about it anymore. She pulled open the bottom drawer of the bathroom counter and dug into the bottom beneath hair ties and half-used lipstick tubes. She pulled open a small cardboard box and ripped the lid off. In it held an old picture of her and Duncan, the skull he had given her from the first time she was voted off the show and two razors. If he only knew what he had done to her when he kissed Gwen the first time. Not to mention the countless times after that. She would never be the same. She could never be the same. She'd never be over it. No amount of C.I.T experience could have prepared her for Total Drama and no amount of experience could have prepared her for getting her heart shattered countless times by the same delinquent who seemed to be in a revolving door of juvy.

Her breath was shaky as she pulled out one of the silver razors. She placed the cold sharp metal on her skin and before giving herself a chance to think twice she pulled it across her skin, straight down from her elbow to her wrist. It stung, it burned, in the back of her mind she knew she would regret this but it didn't stop her. She never wanted to deal with Duncan again. She couldn't deal with the pain anymore. She repeated the same motion on her other arm, wincing when her sobbing left the wound jagged and rough. She sat on the bathroom floor waiting to bleed out. She couldn't handle the thoughts of Duncan eating away at the back of her mind every day. Even when she had moved in with her grandparents and stopped cutting and started eating again, he was still there, in her dreams every night, in the back of her head every day. She had always wondered what it would be like if she ever saw him again, and while she didn't expect herself to act this way, she couldn't say she was surprised either. Her arms were burning and starting to go numb from lack of blood, but she was tired of waiting. She was tired of waiting for Duncan to get out of her system. She rummaged around her bathroom, not caring if blood got everywhere until she found a bottle of Asprin. It wasn't even half-full, but she didn't care. She took the whole thing and slid down to the cold tile floor, content as her world started to go black.

Well there you have it! Review to see what happens next? Can Duncan save her?


	4. Chapter 4

Wow that was brutal! Not promising a happier chapter here either, so you've been forewarned.

Duncan stared after the slammed door, unable to move as he heard Courtney's car rev to life outside.

"If there was a time to go after her, now would be the time." Geoff's voice was surprisingly serious.

"I don't know if that's the best idea…" Leshawna warned.

"If there's anyone she's looking to see right now, it's you." Bridgette stood up and handed Duncan her friend's number scrawled on a napkin. Bridgette knew Courtney would probably hate her for it, but she was the only other person who knew about Courtney's tendencies and she knew Duncan was the only one who had any chance of helping her right now.

Duncan nodded and rushed out to his motorbike. Seeing Courtney again had been like chugging a whole energy drink at once. He needed to see her again. And again, every day for the rest of his life. He still loved her. He always would, and at 18 she was absolutely stunning. Her hair was longer, her hips wider and her breasts were just so amazing. She looked like a goddess come to earth. She was his goddess and his princess and he wasn't going to let her go. This time, he'd do it right.

He drove up to a beautiful two story home. He took a minute to observe the manicured yard and perfect white stucco with tall columns and Grecian inspired architecture. She even lived in a house made for a goddess. He rushed to the door and knocked on it. When no one answered, he tried jiggling the handle, and to his surprise, the door opened. He cautiously headed up the stairs looking around for a hint as to where his princess was. He noticed a door slightly ajar with light streaming from inside. He peeked around the door and looked for Courtney. She wasn't in the room, but it was certainly hers. Posters of Legally Blonde and the world's influential women were the only pops of color in the otherwise grey and white room. He looked around and saw another closed door with the lights on inside. Carefully he opened the door into a bathroom and his stomach dropped when he saw his princess slumped, lifeless on the floor.


	5. Chapter 5

Woo! Longer chapter! Keep reviewing for faster updates!

"Courtney! Courtney! Are you there? Can you hear me?" Duncan shook the listless girl repeatedly. She was drained of her usual tan color and he couldn't get any response out of her. He dialed 911 and explained the situation. He did as the operator instructed to keep her heart beating until the ambulance got there, but it seemed like they were taking forever. His body shook as the paramedics rushed Courtney out of the house.

"What happened to her?" Courtney's grandmother yelled at the paramedics as they rushed her downstairs. The blaring sirens outside had been enough to wake her and her husband up.

"It's all my fault." Duncan sobbed. He picked up a blood-stained picture from the Total Drama days and the wooden skull he had given Courtney when she had been voted off Total Drama Island.

"I'm so sorry, it's all my fault." He looked down at Courtney's grandma. He could tell she recognized him and he was positive she thought poorly of Duncan. Grandmothers were a good judge of character, he always knew that, and if she knew anything about Courtney and Duncan's history she probably hated his guts.

"Come downstairs, I'll make you some coffee." She said simply.

Duncan obeyed and left the bloody bathroom behind to follow Courtney's grandparents into their kitchen.

Even though the outside of the house had felt very Greek to Duncan, the inside of the house felt like it was straight out of Mexico. He would have never guessed that Courtney's family hailed from Mexico, but with her dark features and amazing body he should have guessed it. Grandma Torres had poured the two men coffee with 2 creams and 2 sugars each before ripping into Duncan with questions. He answered each one looking into his coffee, unable to meet the angry Hispanic grandmother's eyes.

He felt horrible about the whole thing. He knew it was all his fault. He had been so focused on himself when he was on that stupid show that he couldn't be bothered to care about his consequences of hooking up with Gwen in various bathroom stalls. He just wanted the money, to not be a delinquent anymore and once he got out of there he was planning to buy Courtney a big diamond ring and whisk her off to the tropics.

Grandpa Torres suddenly put a hand on Duncan's arm making the teen tense up.

"Thank you for calling the ambulance. It means a lot." He said in a very thick accent.

"I wouldn't have thought to do anything else." He whispered, suddenly on the verge of tears. "I know- I know I messed up in the past… really badly, but I honestly do care for her. More than anything. Now that I'm older, I realize how much she means to me, and how lucky I was that she ever considered me worth anything for a second." Duncan didn't realize he was crying until a loud sob shook his body. He just hoped his princess would be okay. He needed her to be okay.

Courtney's grandma looked at him with sympathy, but he could still see reservation and judgement in her eyes. And he deserved it. He deserved every bit of karma in the world for hurting someone so beautiful and perfect so badly.

"Her parents did it to her too you know." Grandma Torres spoke slowly. "After the show she felt like such a disappointment to them for not doing better and then her parents started arguing." The old woman paused, remembering how her son had gotten enthralled in such a shallow woman like that. "They had always been unhappy, but when Courtney started to talk about colleges, her mom didn't want to spend that sort of money. Of course, everyone else knew she would be going on a full ride, but her mother was always so selfish. Spent all her husband's money on shoes and affairs.

"Courtney assumed the worst, and she should have, so when the two decided to get a divorce, she decided she couldn't take it anymore and moved out here with us. I knew she had always been depressed, but I had never known it was that bad. If I did I would have gotten her the help she needed, especially after all she does to clean up around the house and cook for us." Grandma Torres paused to wipe a tear from her face. "She seemed to be doing better when she moved here, I don't know where it all went wrong."

"It's my fault." Duncan repeated again. "It really is. I should have never gone to that party. I should have never hurt her in the first place, but tonight I think I just made everything worse." He clenched his hands tightly on the table. He wouldn't cry again. He was tough guy Duncan. And he needed to be strong for his princess.

"I should get going, I have work tomorrow." Duncan sighed. "Thanks for the coffee, and thanks for not killing me too."  
"Stay the night." Grandpa Torres said. It wasn't a question, Duncan knew it. He gave a short nod and watched Grandpa Torres head to a closet to get some blankets.

"Help me with this couch." He told Duncan as he walked into the living room. Duncan complied and helped the older man pull out the sleeper couch. He wasn't going to argue with the Torres. They were the people who held the deciding factor on whether or not he'd ever see his princess again.

"We'll go visit Courtney in the morning. I need to call my son right now though, so I'm going to leave the lights on." Again, it was not up for debate.

"Y-yeah that's fine." Duncan said as he removed his bloodstained shirt and placed his shoes by the couch. He curled up under the blankets that Grandpa Torres had supplied. They smelled like lavender. Courtney had always smelled like this and now he understood why. He made a note to buy some for her.

He pretended to be asleep as Grandpa Torres sat in his armchair and called Courtney's dad. He heard all the cursing from the other line- some aimed at Duncan and he heard the man crying as well. His stomach clenched. Duncan had messed up so bad this time. Courtney's dad could probably sue him for all of this, but he'd take it, he'd never be able to forget this. He'd really screwed up this time. All the things he did to end up in juvie were nothing in comparison to this.

"Goodnight Duncan." Grandpa Torres said as he turned out the lights and adjusted Duncan's blankets and headed upstairs. Duncan couldn't help but smile. Grandparents were the best. He sure missed his.

Before heading to bed he sent a quick text to his boss saying he had a family emergency and would be in late tomorrow if at all. He began to fall into a fitful sleep, his mind plagued by the sight of his princess dying on the bathroom floor.

He awoke to the noise of clanging pots and the smell of pancakes in the kitchen. He stood up and rubbed his eyes and readjusted his undershirt, trying to smooth out the wrinkles from sleep.

Walking into the kitchen he saw a plate of pancakes for him next to his shirt, the pale grey fabric washed clean of last night's memories.

"T-thank you." He looked at Grandma Torres, taken aback by the kindness and hospitality she was showing him after he basically admitted to be the root of Courtney's problems.

"Of course Duncan," She smiled. Duncan smiled awkwardly back.

"The hospital called us around 5 when Courtney regained conscious. They said she had named you as her caretaker after us." Grandpa Torres informed him. "She must still care about you a lot. They want to put her in your care because they believe you'll be able to keep a better eye on her than we can."

"That's a load of bullshit." Duncan exclaimed. "Sorry." He muttered, realizing he had just cursed in front of Courtney's grandparents. "You probably care about her more than anyone else in this world."

"But she takes care of us more than we can take care of her. She needs to be on watch 24/7 until a psychiatrist can confirm she's doing better. That's more suited to a young person's job." Mr. Torres nodded at him as he drank his coffee.

"But why me..." Duncan mumbled.

"You're who she asked for." Grandma Torres shrugged. Duncan sighed, this was probably why they were being so nice to him. He didn't deserve any of this. He deserved to be kicked in the balls and thrown into the fiery depths of hell for what he did to Courtney.

Duncan finished his pancakes and helped Grandma Torres clean the kitchen. Then the old woman went upstairs to pack a suitcase for the duration of time that Courtney would be staying with Duncan.

Duncan felt awkward helping her put the suitcase in the car, none of this was right, but it made his heart swell to think that Courtney had requested him to look after her for the next two weeks while she was on watch.

He followed the Torres' white Cadillac to the hospital on his motorcycle. His palms were sweating from nervousness as they walked into the tall sterile complex. A nurse led them to Courtney's room where a man in a business suit was sitting outside tapping his foot. Duncan recognized him immediately. The resemblance was uncanny.

"Hijo, I'm so sorry." Grandpa Torres approached the man and the two embraced. Grandma Torres gave her son a tight hug as well before Mr. Torres faced Duncan.

"H-helo…" Duncan stammered, offering his hand out. Courtney's dad shook it firmly but said nothing.

"Let's go inside." Grandma Torres insisted. Along with the suitcase, Courtney's grandma had packed her two baskets of food, both overflowing with flowers.

Duncan bit his lip, letting the family go in first before he shuffled inside, bracing him for the sight.

He felt his stomach drop seeing Courtney hooked up to so many wires and machines, her arms bandaged tightly and a tube sticking out of her nose to keep oxygen supplied to her vitals.

"Courtney, I'm so sorry." Mr. Torres bent down to the hospital bed stroking his daughter's hand.

"I'm sorry." She sniffled, tears running down her face.

Duncan stood frozen as Courtney's family talked in quiet tones to her, telling how glad they were that she was okay, showing her all the food they had for her, asking her about her classes, her friends, avoiding what had happened the night before.

Duncan and Courtney kept meeting eyes, but he would always look away, beet red, scratching the back of his neck.

"Courtney is released from the hospital into the care of Mr. Duncan Foreman." A nurse interrupted the huddle around Courtney's bed as she shoved a file of papers into Duncan's hands. "As her caretaker for the next two weeks, you are required to fill out this paperwork. I'll be back in an hour to collect it."

Duncan sighed and sat down on a hard chair in the room as Courtney's family resumed talking to her. Duncan filled out what seemed like a thousand questions about himself and signed and initialed so many pages he thought his hand would fall off. But anything to spend 2 weeks, 24 hours a day with the love of his life. He had a feeling she wasn't going to let him get close to her ever again, but he was going to make sure he relished every moment of the next two weeks.

After he handed off the paperwork to the nurse he stepped outside to call his boss while the nurses prepped Courtney to go home with him.

He received an earful for ditching work at such a short notice, but after promising to work every day of the week to make up for lost time, the boss relented. Duncan sighed. He had been taking Monday's off for two years now, he was going to miss the glory of not having work on Monday. For his princess, it was worth it. She was worth anything.


End file.
